She also loved the feeling of being alone on the sand. During the day, such a thing was nearly impossible, even on the secluded beaches behind the house. They weren’t private but easy access unless you owned some property was non-existent.

This didn’t mean surfers and sun-worshippers looking for less-crowded sand and waves didn’t make the effort. With the sun long gone, however, she had the beach to herself or so she thought, until she noticed a shadow moving through the moonlight.

She told herself it was probably someone like her, someone who enjoyed listening to the waves crash in solitude. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d encountered another late-night beach walker. In the past, since both parties had been down here to be alone, they had ignored each other. There was, after all, miles of sand in either direction. This shadow, however, kept getting closer.

Because of her husband’s business, Katrina kept a gun in her purse, a Walther P22. Some would scoff at the stopping power of the twenty-two caliber round, but it was light and easy to shoot and she didn’t see anyone volunteering to be target practice. She reached in and wrapped her fingers around the handle with her right hand while she drew her phone with her left.

Katrina turned on the flashlight on her phone and lifted it towards the approaching shadow.

“Who’s there?” she asked.

The shadow didn’t answer.

As it came closer, the shadow became a tall, thin man. He looked to be easily over six and half feet tall.

“Hello?” Katrina said.

“Katrina, Katrina Stone,” he replied.

“Do I know you?”

The thin man said nothing. He lunged at her and had his hands on her throat before she could react. By the time she started fighting back, she was already pinned under him on the sand with his hands clamped tightly around her neck. She drew the gun, put it to his head, and pulled the trigger, but she had yet to chamber a round. She was in the process of doing so but she was  too slow. With his hand around her neck and his body weight on her chest it was impossible for her to draw air into lungs. By the time she pulled back the slide, the lack of oxygen getting to her brain made everything go black.